Anti-Wike protesters drop coffin at PDP secretariat today
The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Mu'azu and other members of the party's national working committee abandoned their respective offices in Abuja on Wednesday as angry party members from Rivers State took over the party's secretariat.
The only member of the NWC who managed to show up was Kema Chikwe, the woman leader, but she too did not spend up to three minutes at the gate as the protesters threatened to beat her up if she attempts entering the premises.
Cairo Ojugboh, who oversees the party in the South-South zone, was also ordered to leave. He obeyed the order and promptly left the party secretariat for the protesters.
Anti-Wike protesters in Abuja today
The protesters said they came to protest against former minister of state for education and the party's governorship candidate in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and Uche Secondus, the national vice chairman of the party.
Wike is the anointed governorship candidate of Mrs. Patience Jonathan in Rivers State.
Singing war songs and carrying a mock coffin, the protesters also erected a canopy with which they blocked the entrance to the party's national secretariat.
No staff was allowed access the office as the three gates leading to the premises were effectively blocked by the protesters.
Some 100 policemen stood nearby and watched as the protesters took over the zone five area of the party secretariat.
The protesters arrived the scene around 6am, but were later dispersed forcefully around 5:20pm by the police who fired life bullets and teargas canisters into the air.
Five of protesters were later arrested.
